Gorka Guruzeta

Key strength: Link-up play

Target man

Athletic Bilbao sit 5th in La Liga with 28 points, navigating choppy waters after a patchy run of LDLLW—a sequence that has tested Ernesto Valverde's mettle at San Mamés. Yet amid the turbulence, one figure remains the immovable heartbeat of their attack: Gorka Guruzeta. The 29-year-old Basque target man is authoring a career-defining season, burying 13 goals across 37 appearances—translating his 2,505 minutes into pure, unrelenting productivity. His game is gloriously single-minded: just one assist all campaign underscores a striker who lives to finish, not facilitate. Valued at €5 million, Guruzeta embodies Athletic's identity—Basque, belligerent, and brutally effective. His link-up play with creative sparks Oihan Sancet and Nico Williams has become the Lions' primary weapon, the No. 11 serving as both battering ram and reference point. Only two yellow cards betray his discipline; everything else screams ruthless efficiency. In a season of inconsistency, Guruzeta is the constant that keeps Athletic dreaming of Europe.